Lismore: homeless, angry and hurting

More than two weeks after floodwaters devastated the NSW Northern Rivers city of Lismore, people are struggling to secure long-term accommodation.

Lismore Mayor Steve Krieg says thousands of people are grappling with the dire reality that their homes have been destroyed and “people really don’t know where we are going to be”.

“We are really hurting at the moment. No doubt about that. People are starting to get angry,” told the Nine Network on Tuesday.

The State Emergency Service says 3396 homes are uninhabitable and 6708 were inundated on February 28, as 120 motor homes are sent to the Northern Rivers to deal with the drastic shortage of accommodation.

Mr Krieg’s family is one of thousands staying with friends but he says “it’s a big ask … to look after five people in a home for six to 12 months”.

The area is dealing with shortages of tradesmen and building materials. There are still widespread power outages and water and sewerage lines have been cut.

Premier Dominic Perrottet last week announced a $551 million housing support package for flood victims, including support for semi-permanent housing pods such as those used after the 2019-20 black summer bushfires and mobile motor homes.

“This is not going to be a short-term fix,” Mr Krieg said.

“There has been a lot of promises made, but we actually need a bit of delivery now,” Mr Krieg said.

Governments needed to be better prepared to deal with natural disasters, he said.

“These are the lessons that we have to learn and we should be prepared for, and it is not just Lismore or our region.

“The bushfires – it could happen anywhere in the country – we just need to be prepared.”

Lismore: homeless, angry and hurting
Independent Information